When tomatoes are in season, you’ll find them added to just about everything we eat. It’s our favorite time of year — Fresh Bruschetta anyone? When tomatoes are not in season, we still crave them. The problem is that they are never as sweet and ripe as they are in summer. That’s okay, though, because our solution is to roast them. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in almost anything — especially vegetables.

For this simple pasta sauce, we roast tomatoes with garlic and olive oil then add them to some onions softened in olive oil, a can of tomatoes and fresh mint. The can of tomatoes helps make this a thick sauce. We’ve made this sauce with both mint and basil with great success. Use what you have on hand or use both! I’m partial to throwing lots (and I do mean lots) of fresh green herbs into whatever we’re cooking. If you are making this in the cooler months, think about adding a few heartier herbs like thyme or rosemary to the tomatoes while they roast.

Once the sauce is made, toss it with some pasta — I like slurping up spaghetti or angel hair. Then throw on some feta cheese and more herbs.

Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Mint and Feta

PREP 10mins

COOK 50mins

TOTAL 1hr

Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in almost anything — especially when it comes to tomatoes. Use any variety of tomato for this. A variety pack of cherry tomatoes with different colors creates a very pretty sauce. Mint is lovely here, especially with the feta, although fresh basil is an excellent substitute.

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss tomatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the unpeeled garlic cloves. Spread into one layer then roast until soft, but beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

About 20 minutes before the tomatoes have finished roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and red pepper flakes, then cook, stirring often, until softened and sweet, about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with juices as well as a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add the roasted tomatoes and fresh mint to the sauce. Squeeze the softened garlic out of the papery outer layers and into the sauce. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until relatively smooth, but leaving some texture. Taste then season with salt and pepper as needed. (We usually need to add another generous pinch of salt). Use the sauce now or cool, cover and chill up to 3 days.

When the sauce is done, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until it is tender but not mushy. Toss with some of the roasted tomato sauce, thinning with a little of the hot cooking water as necessary. Serve with more fresh mint and the feta cheese on top.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

Make-ahead: The roasted tomato sauce can be made, cooled and and stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance.

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This recipe is great, and I can’t wait to try it with Thai Basil instead of the mint, or even better a combo of mint and Thai Basil. We are loving your pasta recipes. Tomorrow, I will be making your excellent and easy Marinara Sauce for your Spinach Lasagna (that will be a 1st time try … we already had the vegetarian Lasagna and it was really good)!

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